Review of Reliable Information Sources Related to Integrative Oncology

doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2008.04.004

Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America

Volume 22, Issue 4, August 2008, Pages 619-630

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hoc.2008.04.004 Get rights and content

Health care professionals, patients, and care givers require access to good quality, reliable information about integrative oncology. Despite the vast resources available, it can be difficult to find objective, evidence-based information. This article provides an overview of reliable integrative oncology information from various resources. Selection methods are detailed and evaluation performed using a validated instrument. Resources that met the selection criteria and produced high evaluation scores are reviewed in detail. Resources include research databases, clinical databases, online information systems, and print media.

Section snippets

Aim

The aim of this article is to provide an overview of reliable integrative oncology information from various resources. Clinical databases, research databases, online information systems, and print media were assessed for use by oncology health professionals and patients. The resources that are presented in this article provide high-quality information in keeping with an evidence-based approach to integrative medicine.

Resource Selection

The resources listed have been selected for a critical review of information about evidence-based integrative oncology. Several criteria were employed to select reliable resources for this review:

1.
An initial search was performed using the Intute database [14]. Intute is a free online service that provides access to pre-evaluated Web resources for education and research. All material were selected and evaluated by a network of subject specialists to create the database. Searches were conducted on

The National Cancer Institute complementary and alternative medicine summaries

The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Web site (www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/treatment/cam) contains a wealth of cancer-related information. A range of consumer-oriented information is available for the general public, patients, and health professionals, as well as comprehensive descriptions of the research programs and clinical trials the organization is undertaking. Information is available in English or Spanish. Summaries of various CAM treatments for cancer are provided on two levels, one

Summary

Clinicians and patients require access to information about integrative oncology that is objective and trustworthy. Patients and care providers rely on health care professionals to provide most of this information. Therefore, health care professionals need to be familiar with a range of resources. This article summarized some of the excellent resources available for integrative oncology in an attempt to address this information need.

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Attitude of employees of a university clinic to complementary and alternative medicine in oncology
2013, Annals of Oncology
Citation Excerpt :
These data are in accordance with those from the literature (Frenkel et al. [24], Muenstedt et al. [14]). Moreover, reliable information is difficult to find even for physicians accustomed to evidence-based research on information (Boddy and Ernst [25]). On the other hand, one of the most important problems patients looking for information on CAM face is that communication on CAM is hampered for several reasons.
Cancer patients often use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), yet discussion with the oncologist is often missing and oncologists lack knowledge in CAM.
In order to learn more about the attitude of professionals in oncology toward CAM, a survey was conducted on employees of a German university clinic using a structured questionnaire.
In total, 547 employees took part in the survey. One-third would definitely use CAM on cancer patients. Female employees are more interested in CAM than males (80% versus 20%; P = 0.001); physicians are less interested than nurses (57% versus 72%; P = 0.008). 2.5% of physicians and 9% of nurses are convinced that CAM is as effective as conventional therapy in cancer. Fifty-two percent of physicians and 12% of nurses agree that adverse effects due to CAM may be possible. Seventy-three percent did not consider themselves adequately informed on CAM for their professional work.
As a substantial part of participants would use CAM on cancer patients and most are interested in but not trained on this topic, there is a need for training of professionals from different professions working in oncology.
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Web-based online resources about adverse interactions or side effects associated with complementary and alternative medicine: a systematic review, summarization and quality assessment
2020, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
eHealth technologies assisting in identifying potential adverse interactions with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or standalone CAM adverse events or side effects: a scoping review
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Information needs of oncologists, general practitioners and other professionals caring for patients with cancer
2016, European Journal of Cancer Care
Complementary and alternative medicine in palliative care: A comparison of data from surveys among patients and professionals
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Review of Reliable Information Sources Related to Integrative Oncology

Section snippets

Aim

Resource Selection

The National Cancer Institute complementary and alternative medicine summaries

Summary

Ann Oncol

Patient Educ Couns

Chest

Information from the Internet: attitudes of Australian oncology patients

Intern Med J

Information sources used by New South Wales cancer clinicians: a qualitative study

Intern Med J

Information preferences of women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer

Eur J Cancer Care (Engl)

Impact of the media and the internet on oncology: survey of cancer patients and oncologists in Canada

J Clin Oncol

Cancer patients seeking information from sources outside the health care system

Support Care Cancer

Practitioners' sources of clinical information on complementary and alternative medicine in oncology

Support Care Cancer

Patient initiation of complementary and alternative medical therapies (CAM) following cancer diagnosis

Cancer J

Use of complementary/alternative therapies by women with advanced-stage breast cancer

BMC Complement Altern Med